I've had quite a hectic week running wise, I'll not start on my normal running day (for the round-up) because it makes more sense to start on the Saturday before last.

Saturday 29th - 5 miles : 40:25
I'd received an email from Great Run which invited North Run participants to take part in a series of training days ran by Nike & Powerade which geared you up for the GNR.  Seeing that it was free (always a plus point) I signed up for the 29th, and at 10am pootled my way along to Start Fitness in Newcastle.  It was actually really helpful in a few ways.

We started with a fairly humiliating warm up session at the Monument in the centre of town.  Being that I have no skills of co-ordination it was more hard work trying to get my arms & legs to do things at the same time and direction as everyone else, than the actual physical effort.  Then it was off down to the quayside for a 5 mile hill session - lovely :) 

Sunday 30th - 16 miles : 2:08:00
5.45am start for a 16 miler.  I had to get out early as I had work to do, so I was up with the larks, and out in time to see the sun come up.  I did a 2 mile warm up, then a cracking 13 mile run just off race pace, then a 1 mile warm down.  I felt ok afterwards, but having had my gel at 1 hr 30, I came crashing back down to earth with a bump about 15 mins after I finished - really knackered.

Tuesday 1st - 5.53 miles : 44:03 (total distance with warm up & down - 9 miles)
Another hill session, the deaded Springfield session.  I actually really enjoy this session in some weird masochistic sense.  I had said I was going to take it easy, but I really wanted to put the effort in, so I pushed on and really enjoyed the session. 

Wednesday 2nd - Watergate 5k : 22:38
Micheal Bunn was going to pace me round this one in 23 mins, but I told him just to go for it himself (and not run so slowly).  I was aching from Springfield the day before, and didn't want to over do it for the weekend.  We set off and I kept a nice steady pace.  Lynn from Tynedale came steaming past at around 2k, but I felt ok by this point and decided to try and hang on just behind her.  Just before 4k I pushed on ad managed to go past.  I was pipped right at the finish by a lady from PB Fitness, but felt happy overall with my time, and managed to win a silver in the NE vets L35 category!

Sunday 6th - Tynedale 10 Jelly Tea : 1:14:04
This was the race to test out my pace & stamina for the GNR,  I've been putting in loads more mileage this year in comparison to previous years, so I was hoping this would pay off.  I set off at a fairly blistering pace, passing through the 2 mile mark in 14:01, just as Jimmy, Mick Joyce & Rachel came by.  I hung on with them for the next 2 miles, which I was really pleased about, then I saw Mick & Jimmy push on up one of the hills and Rachel fell off the pace a little.  Mel from Low Fell came past at 4 miles too - she looked pretty comfortable steaming up the hill out of Corbridge, but my aim now was to catch Rachel.

I never really started to tire, just got a little slower on the hills, but pushed on again on the downhill sections.  Rachel was only around 200m ahead of me for the next 5 miles, but always that little bit too far to catch.  I tagged on to a few guys who were travelling at around the same pace as me, and kept checking my watch at the mile markers to see if I was still on course for a pb.

Well I did it, knocked three & a half minutes off my PB, won the 1st L35 prize (because Joanne came third lady), a silver medal in the NE Vets 10 mile champs, and a bottle of wine as a spot prize. Had a cracking run, went through 5k in a season best (21:14), through 10k in only 20 secs off my pb (44:11 - another season best). I just worked really hard for the whole race including all of the many hills.

I didn't manage to catch my club mate Rachel, who was ahead of me by only 200m right through to the finish, but I think another couple of miles may have seen me catch her up. 

I really enjoyed myself yesterday, it's what makes all of the training worth it!

Many grats to these 10 mile vets championship winners: Micheal Bunn for a gold in the V50, Mick Joyce for a silver in the same category, and Joe Prudham for a gold in the V70s, and to the three of them for the V50+ team prize, Joanne for the L35 gold, Jenny for her L45 gold & Maggie for L50 Gold.  To Frankie Dockerty for his male vet 70 prize, and to Mel from Low Fell for a brand new pb!

Also a big thank you to Tynedale for putting on such a cracking road race!

Tags: Watergate 5k, Tynedale 10 mile

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